Bomb-release gear



F. BANKEN.

BOMB RELEASEGEMI. APPucATlon FILEDASEIPT. 1s. |919.

J7 l zalen M ATmRNl-.Y

F. BANKEN.

BOMB RELEASE GEAR. APPLICATION FILED SEPT.` i6. 1919.

Patented Feb. 1, 1921.

' 4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INV

TTORNE F. BANKEN.

BOMB RELEASE GEAR. APPucAUoN min SEPT; 1e. 1919.

Patented Feb. 1, 1921.

4 SHEETS--SHEET 3.

TTORNE F. BANKEN.

BOMB RELEASE GEAR. APPLcATmN man SEPT. 16. i919.

Patented Fen-1,1921'.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

ATTORNEY nr f errer..

Y FRANCISRANKEN, 0F LONDON, ENGLAND.

speoieati'on of Letters Patent.

BOMB-RELEASE GEAR.

Application ined September 16, 191e. serial no. 324,208.'

T 0 all whom t may concern.:

Be it known that I, F RANoIs BANKEN, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, and residing at rlhe Air Ministry, Central House, Kingsway, London l/V. C. 2., England, .have invented certainfnew and useful Improvements in or Relating to Bomb-Release Gears, of which the iollow-r in is a specification. Y

his invention has for its object to provide an apparatus 'for holding and releasing a number of small bombs the incendiary type.

VAccording to this invention a number of small bombs is arranged in two or'more superimposed groups within a. cylindrical casing, and a rod which lies centrally. within this casing kis provided at one end with a disk or flange which` closesin the lower end i ,end ot the rod by a coi-dior the like. lll/ThenV this cord is cut or otherwise released, therod. Alternatively theknite may bel sepaot the casing and serves to retain the bombs therein. A hook or like swinging member is maintained in engagement with the upper swinging member will move out of engagement with theV rod 'and the latter together with the bombs will be freed and can tall from the casing. passes through the upper end of the casing which is Closed, and to the end of the casing is attached an eye on which the swingingl rhook is carried. T he cord which maintains the hook and VrodL- in engagement 1s disposed in the path or" a sliding knife to which move-` ment is' imparted when *the bombs yareto bev released".v 1When'thereleafse is `to be effected Y the 'whole casing is allowed to drop a short distance when itv isv caught and held by a bolt, andmthis movement is utilized to cause.- the knife" to' be drawn against thecordjV which is', thencut' and thehookV automati-Vv cally' disengages itself from the end .ot the ra'telyVv operated so as' to" cut thecord.' s

The invention may be carried out in practice `in various ways, but aY convenient construction which m'ay be'aclopted tor carry-y ing the bombs on and releasing -them from aircraft is hereinafter described with reference to and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an elevation of the casing, showing the hookfand ,cord cutting gearlin Vdotted. lines;

preferably of rl`he upper vend ot the rodv l Fig. iis an elevation of the hook and.

cord cutting gear on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 5 is a view at right angles to Fig. 4; Fig. Gis a plan of Fig. 4; Figs. 7 and 8 -are side and edge Views of the cutting device;A v

Figs. 9 and` 10 illustrate a detail; and Fig. 11 illustrates a modification. Y I As' shown, a cylindrical casing, 10 of suitable dimensions has one endl closed eX- cept for a central opening 14e therein 'while the'other end 15 of the casing is open. On the exterior ot the casing toward this open endv there are conveniently mounted longitudinal wings or vanes 16 which serve toguide the `casing it it is dropped as a whole with `the bombswithin it as may be desirl able on occasion. It is convenient to load the bombs into an inner cylindrical casing or liner 17 which is closed at one end 18 but open at theother 19, and carries centrally disposed within it-a tube 20. `'llheclosed end of the liner is connected to theuclosed end ofthe outer casing byshort bolts or studs 21 and wing nuts 22. The lower end ot' the lineris subsequently closed in by av disk A23 having a vperipheral flange which engages the end of the liner. Beneath .this

A;` bushing 27 which is inserted in the ,lowenf end of the .tube servestolguidethe rodV and.A

Patented nel); 1, 1921'.

hold'theoluter end of, the tube steady, The

upperend ofthe rod' is slottedthroughtor forkedtor' a suitable distance at 28andl a pin'29 with a roller thereon is fixed in the rod across theiopenend of this slot. A."l

shortdistance. from the Y,innerv en dvotthelv slot a hole 31, is formed for apin 32 by.4

means ot which the rod and the disk thereon can .be -held in'y place untilV they releasing. mechanismV is set or after it isset and'untilV the device is required for use.

0n the upper end of the outer casing is mounted a plate 33 in which arefixed the ends of a U- shaped memberllconstituting an eyeby n1 sans ot' which the whole casing is suspended. In the preferred form of this eye the distance between the two limbs of the U-shaped member is less at the upper part thereof, the limbs being spread farther' apart but carried paralleltoward the lower part as shown in Fig. 11. -The two arms of the U-shaped member are passed through holes formed in the ends of a transverse pin k which constitutes the pivot for a retaining hook 36. This hook hangs on this pin centrally between 'the arms of the U-shaped member being kept in position by short tubes 37 forming distance pieces. The pin .on which the hook issuspended is maintained the required distance along the arms of thev U-shaped member by means' of tubes 38 forming distance pieces through which these arms are passed. The hook swings in such a position that it can pass through the slot 28 in the upper end of the rod 26 and engage the'roller on the transverse pin in this slot. This part of the hook is so inclined as at 39 that when it is released the weight resting thereon will cause the hook to slide away from beneath the'roller which it engages.

On the back of the hook is a grooved Ablock 40 constituting a guide for the cord by means of which the hook is held in engagement with the rod. One end of thisl cord passes through a hole 41 in a bracket y 4Q mounted on thc plate 33 and a knot is formed at this end of the cord to prevent its being drawn through the hole. The cord is then led over the grooved block 40 and back again under a nut 43 by means of which this end ofthe cord can be clamped and held.

Adjacent this clamping device is mounted a knife 44 which can slide transversely to the path of the cord. This knife conveniently comprises a slotted plate 45 having a saw cut 46 through the thickness of the plate at one end into which a razor or knife blade 44 is inserted and fixed so that the edge of the blade will project into the slot in the plate. The plate itself rests in 'fguides'47 transverse to the path of thev cord which is carried through the slot inA theiplate. One end of this slot constitutes an eye 48 with which can be engaged Va hook 49 mounted on the end of a cord 5()` "or on a rigid member whichV is adjustable Ywith a toggle or other means for exerting a pull thereon so as to move the knife and cut the cord. The knife is normally held down bv a spring plate 5l.

The U-shaped eye which may be provided with an adapter 52 as shown'in Figs. 9

and 10 (for the purpose of enabling the carrier to be suspended from bomb slips of cord, the plate being tethered to the bomb release frame by means of a metal strip 50 furnished with a spring hook 49.

The bombs which the present apparatus is more particularly designed to carry and release' are of the incendiary type and in the preferred form are constructed as described in the specification of my prior application for British Letters Patent No. 18157 of 1917. These bombs are of small sizerand comprise a cylindrical casing which is weighted atone end and provided with wings at the other. Within the casing is disposed a cartridge containing an incendiary composition of the thermit type which is adapted to be ignited on impact. A num4 bei' of these bombs is disposed in the closed end ofthe inner casing or liner whose length is approximately a multiple of the'length of the bombs. The bombs are packed side by side and parallel tothe axis of the'casing around the central tube and when thespace is completely filled with bombs a thin metal or other disk is placed over them hav-v ing a hole through which the central tube passes. Another and similar group of bombs is then arranged in the liner around the tube. and on the top of the first group. If f the liner is of sufficient size a disk is placed on the top'of this second group and a third quantity of bombs placed in the liner and so on until the latter is full. preferably arranged in the liner with their weighted ends upward and the vanes directed downward. When the liner is full the disk which closes the lower .end thereof is placed in position together with the rod` which carries this disk and the rod is passed through the central tube. The rod is then kept in place by the pin which is passedY The bombs are Y through the hole previously described as being formed uthrough the rod adjacent to the end of the slot in the end thereof. By this Vmeans the bombs'are all held in the liner and the latter canvnow be handled and inserted in the outer casing in which it is fixedby bolts or studs which pass through the two upper and closed ends to the liner and outer casing. The hook is now engaged with the upper end of the rod and the cord placed in position around` the hook and i clamped and the whole apparatus isthenV ready for use when the retaining pin has been withdrawn. The casing is slung from the aircraft in some convenient manner as for instance similarly to the manner in which explosive bombs are hung. rlhe release of the bombs may be effected as above described either by pulling the cord by which the knife is caused to slide and cut thecordholding the hook in engagement Vwith the rod, or by releasing the catch by which the whole casing issuspended in the same way as explosive bombs are released. The casing then asY mentioned only drops a short distance and this movement is used to effect the cutting of the cord which holds the hook in the manner described.

Vhen the rod is released the disk on the end thereof is carried downward by the bombs above it and the bombs fall out of the casing in successive groups and spread as they fall.l If desired the whole casing can be released so as to fall as one bomb v when the vanes which as mentioned may be provided on the exterior thereof toward its lower end will cause it to turn over so that all the bombstherein will be directed downward into the position necessaryrto insure ignition on impact.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is l. Bomb release gear including in combif nation a bomb carried, a separate bomb supon said projection, a cord retaining said swinging member in said slot, and severing means for the cord.

3. Bomb release gear including in combination, a bomb container casing, vanes on said casing, a bomb container, a separate bomb supporting plate, a central suspending rod therefor, a plate on said bomb container casing, a bracket on said plate, a swinging hook, a cord knotted at one end retaining said hook in engagement with said suspending rod, a hole in said-bracket for the reception of said cord, clamping means for the other end of the cord, a knife carrier embracing the cord, and means adapted to impart movement to the knife carrier to sever the cord by a single stroke of the knife e carrier.

4. Bomb release gear including in combination, a bomb container casing, a bomb container, a separate bomb supporting plate, a suspending rod therefor, a swinging member, a cord retaining said swinging member in engagement with said suspending rod,

Lsevering means for said cord, and means arresting the downward movement of said severing means, whereby said cord is sev ered upon downward movement of said bomb container casing.

5. Bomb release gear including in combination, a cup shaped casing open at its lower end, a second cup shaped casing suspendedk within thefirst mentioned casing, a tube depending within the inner casing, and secured thereto, a detachable and closing plate for the inner casing, a suspending rod for said plate, a retaining hook for said rod, securing means for said hook, and readily severable means for said securing means.

In testimony whereof I'have signed my name to this specification.

lFRANCIS BANKEN. 

